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Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Ill., issued a statement commemorating the life and legacy of legendary football coach Lou Holtz following the coach’s death Wednesday.
Buckner provided a statement to PK Press Club Digital reflecting on Holtz’s efforts to recruit him to the University of South Carolina as a college football prospect, and said he was praying for the coach’s family.
“Like many Chicago kids, I grew up watching Lou Holtz on the sidelines at Notre Dame. South Bend always felt like it was right next door to us, and Coach Holtz was synonymous with this program and college football in general. I was incredibly honored that our paths crossed years later when he recruited me during his time at South Carolina,” Buckner said.
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“I ultimately chose a different path, but the chance to sit down with him, hear his vision and learn from a man who meant so much to the game is something I will never forget. Coach Holtz is a true legend of college football. I pray for his family and all those who loved him. His impact on the sport and the young men he coached will live on for generations.”
Buckner’s tribute to Holtz has been an anomaly for Democratic figures since the coach’s death.
Most Republican lawmakers were quick to offer condolences for the coach’s death Wednesday, but Democrats remained mostly silent. That includes other football-related Democrats besides Buckner.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who worked as a high school assistant football coach, has made no public statement regarding Holtz’s death.
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., like Buckner, was also a college football recruiting target for Holtz before Booker’s NCAA career. But Booker also hasn’t said anything publicly about Holtz’s death.
Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, who played in the NFL, also has not commented on Holtz’s death.
PK Press Club Digital has reached out to the offices of Walz, Booker and Allred for a response.
A prominent voice on the left, former journalist Keith Olbermann, sparked controversy for calling Holtz a “bastard” after the coach’s death.
“Legendary bastard, yes,” Olbermann wrote on X in response to a clip of Holtz criticizing former President Joe Biden in 2020 for his support of abortion rights.
Olbermann received scathing criticism in response to his X post.
Holtz was a strong supporter of President Donald Trump, even saying in February 2024 that Trump must “make America great again!” »
Near the end of Trump’s first term, shortly after former President Joe Biden’s defeat in the 2020 election, Trump awarded Holtz the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian honor. Holtz, who also spoke at the 2020 Republican National Convention, was humbled by the honor.
“This is the greatest honor or award you can receive, and I receive it with mixed emotions. First of all, I’m honored,” Holtz said.Fox and friends” next. “There are many more worthy people than me, I can assure you.
“Nobody is more grateful than me. So I’m thrilled to have this opportunity and, at the same time, I’m thrilled to receive it from President Trump. The president that I admire and respect. I think he’s done a tremendous job.”
At the time, Holtz also called Trump “one of the great presidents of my lifetime.”
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U.S. President Donald Trump presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz at the White House in Washington, DC, December 3, 2020. (Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Holtz was the first coach in NCAA history to take six different football programs to bowl games, including William & Mary (1969-71), NC State (1972-75), Arkansas (1977-83) and South Carolina (1999-2004). The only team he failed to accomplish this feat with was Minnesota, which he managed from 1984 to 1985.
Holtz finished his coaching career with a record of 249-132-7 in 388 games. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
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